Bagilla is a very popular Iraqi street food. It consists of boiled broad beans (fava beans) sprinkled with sumac spice. The name “bagilla” (باقلاء) refers directly to the legume itself, the beans. Street vendors offering this dish are an integral part of the local color of larger Iraqi cities.
The cultivation and consumption of fava beans has a millennial tradition in the region of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The broad bean is one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world, and archaeological findings confirm its presence in the diet of ancient Near East civilizations as early as the Neolithic period.
Bagilla as a specific dish stems from the need to process dried beans, which were historically an important source of protein available year-round. The method of slowly cooking legumes in large vessels is typical for this region.
The base of bagilla is dried fava beans. They must be soaked before cooking, usually overnight, to soften and shorten the cooking time. Subsequently, they are boiled in a large amount of water, often in huge metal cauldrons right on the street. Cooking takes several hours until the beans are completely soft but still hold their shape. The skin of the beans remains firm after cooking, but the inside acquires a creamy consistency.
Many people peel the beans directly in their mouths. By gently pressing the bean between the teeth, the soft inside is squeezed into the mouth, and the tough skin is spat out or set aside. Others prefer consuming the whole beans, skin and all.
Bagilla is almost always generously sprinkled with sumac (Rhus coriaria) spice. Sumac gives the dish a distinct sour taste and red color. The cooking water, which acquires a dark color and strong bean flavor during the process, is not discarded in Iraq. Many diners drink this broth separately or consume it as a soup together with the beans. The broth is considered restorative and warming, especially on colder mornings.
Dishes made from boiled fava beans are widespread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The most famous relative is the Egyptian “ful medames,” which is also prepared from fava beans, but the beans are usually cooked down more or partially mashed. In the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan), one can encounter the dish “foul,” which has many regional variations, often including tahini or yogurt, which is not commonly found in Iraqi bagilla.
The Iraqi version is specific precisely for its simplicity, the use of sumac spice, and the drinking of the broth.
Have you had the chance to taste this simple dish on the streets of Iraq? What do you think of it?
Bon appétit!
